Zeal

Lakewood Family YMCA

Zeal was placed in foster care with Anastacia when he was just seven days old. He suffered from shaken baby syndrome and started physical therapy. He experienced sensory and spatial issues and needed activities to help him build basic muscle toning for developmental tasks such as crawling and climbing.

At the recommendation of the therapist, Anastacia signed the two of them up for parent-child swim class at the Y. Thanks to the Y’s membership program for foster children, Zeal’s membership was free. Over the last two years, Zeal progressed rapidly and now participates in swim lessons with other kids his age.

“We have gotten very close as family,” Anastacia said. “It’s great to have these programs so close to home.”

Zeal’s love of the water has grown, as has his self-confidence, and he has grown by leaps and bounds in his daily skills. This year, Anastacia officially adopted Zeal.